Sunday, November 29, 2015

Below is a post I wrote in November of 2015. I got a couple of things wrong, but overall, I was right when I wrote about a big victory for Donald Trump in the general election. I stand by my prediction and the reason I predicted this outcome. I pray for the success of Donald Trump as POTUS and I pray the church does not squander the opportunity to operate without resistance for the next 4 years. What follows is what I wrote in November 2015:A few weeks ago, I would have predicted (and did) a cake walk presidential election for Hilary Clinton. I no longer believe this possible. Hilary is far too damaged, at this point, to win a general election, and a no holds barred candidate, such as Donald Trump will eviscerate her in a debate. If the Trump Juggernaut does not falter, he will become the nominee for the Grand Old Party and he will carry New York and Florida on election day, ensuring him a White House victory. Hilary's problem is she is simply unlikable. Most politicians would not tear at that wound, for fear of tarnishing future political aspirations, but not Trump, he has nothing to lose and everything to gain, and the more he speaks his mind, unfiltered,the more popular he becomes.

As fractured as the GOP may be, the DNC is at war within. Only after Hilary is trounced in the General election, will the DNC be able to regroup, jettison Wasserman-Shultz, who is really not ready for Prime Time, and cut lose many of the old guard Dems in congress for younger, less partisan, and more liberal members. One such member of Congress, who also happens to be the Vice Chair of the DNC and a political rival of Wasserman-Shultz, is Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. Gabbard has everything the DNC needs to convey in order to remain relevant in the future: she is young, attractive, very intelligent and understands domestic and foreign policy, she is also very liberal and non-christian. Currently, the DNC strains to remain relevant amidst it's electorate, it is currently, as Time magazine stated, "The party of old white guys." The DNC has become the GOP of the 1970's and cannot relate to a young electorate.

Trump, if nominated, will win the general election and serve one term, that is my prediction. Trump will do a bang up job of fixing the economy, but he will probably have difficulty on social issues and foreign policy. On foreign policy, Trump will look more like Putin than Reagan, or Obama for that matter, and socially, he will probably struggle like George H.W. Bush, as his true ideology is somewhat left of that on which he is running. I do not believe Trump will seek a second term and my best guess is Cruz, who should be Vice President at the time, will be too conservative for the country, which has shifted irretrievably left under Obama.

Enter Tulsi Gabbard. I believe America is ready for a woman president, just not Hilary Clinton. Gabbard is the Anti-Hilary. Gabbard is not shrill and patronizing, she comes with true feminist credentials, not riding the coattails of a man, as Hilary can only attribute her political success to her husband, Bill Clinton. Gabbard has served as a combat war veteran and is currently a National Guardsman, on the Senate Armed Forces Committee, and Senate Foreign Policy Committee. Gabbard is extremely liberal on domestic policies, but seems to be a fical conservative and is willing to work with both sides of the aisle. Gabbard and Wasserman-Shultz, the DNC Chair, have been less than friendly and Gabbard, at least privately, seems to not support Hilary Clinton for Democratic Nominee. Gabbard was most likely in the Joe Biden camp. Religiously, Gabbard is less traditional, as she practices Hinduism. She was raised by a Catholic father and Hindu mother, but chose to embrace Hinduism. As Hinduism is a polytheistic religion, embracing Yoga and Karma, this will play well with a younger generation that already embraces Spirituality over Christianity.

Gabbard carries herself extremely well, she has poise, speaks well, with a lower timber than most female politicians, she does not come off as shrill, such as Hilary, and has an intelligent beauty that will garner trust. Gabbard is the youngest woman ever elected to political office in her home state of Hawaii, and will most likely hold that distinction in the White House, beating out a 42 year old Teddy Roosevelt. Gabbard will run, as Trump is, as the real deal candidate of 2020. Unlike Obama, who is shrouded in mystery, half truths and outright lies, Gabbard has lived her entire adult life in the public eye, having been elected to public office at the age of 21. At 39 years of age(her age in 2020) Gabbard will have just as much public service experience as anyone else running.

Another reason I believe Ms. Gabbard will be running(and winning) in 2020 is that public relations campaign that is slowly ramping up, placing her in the public eye. The New York Times has run an article on her, signaling a big warning to Hilary Clinton. The same media tactic that brought us a President Obama will slowly and steadily introduce America to Tulsi Gabbard. As some very high profile female heads of state continue to be in the news, America will be less reticent to elect a woman to it's highest office. At the end of the day, Hilary Clinton is not presidential, she is untrustworthy, she has been tarnished by one scandal after another, and she represents everything that is wrong with politics. Gabbard has none of these liabilities and will most likely not be subject to ridicule for off the cuff remarks like Sarah Palin. Tulsi Gabbard will be taken seriously, as she has gone through her paces, both personally, and politically. Most of her most liberal positions are already law and her fiscal and foreign policy conservatism will overshadow her social policies, making her very attractive to moderate and independent voters. Gabbard and Trump are probably more similar, politically, than anyone even realizes.

I am a Christian, a conservative and a nationalist, I do not endorse Ms. Gabbard. Though the above may seem like an endorsement, it is simply my reasons as to why I am officially predicting a Trump presidency, for one term and a blessed fading away of Mrs. Clinton, once and for all. As presidents go, I would not support a liberal such as Gabbard, but compared to Hilary, Gabbard is Kennedyesque while Clinton is simply an unindicted criminal and thug. America has shifted away from God and traditional values, we are no longer a Christian nation, Obama has accomplished his mission to "fundamentally change the United States of America" and has played the perfect Illuminati puppet. Obama's damage done, it is time for a real, adult to take office and clean up his mess, ala Donald Trump. Once Trump fixes thing, someone like Gabbard will be ideal for the purposes of leading America further from God and leading the world closer to the conditions necessary for Satan to establish his rule through the Anti-Christ. God help America and God help the American Church!

Monday, November 16, 2015

In ancient Judah, during the times of the kings, the people wavered back and forth from obeying God and sinning greatly. The nation's behavior was largely dependent upon the disposition of the King. If the King loved and served God, the Law was enforced, and the people's hearts were toward God, if the king disregarded God and His Law, the people did so as well. If, after the reign of an evil king, a righteous king began to reign, the righteous king would cleanse the land of sin and purge evil from the midst of the people. Cleansing of the land meant destroying and removing all vestiges of paganism, idolatry and immorality. Altars to foreign gods were torn down, idols were cast out and burned, priests dedicated to foreign gods were often put to death and shrine prostitutes were driven out of the land. As the land was cleansed from outward symbols and devices of sin, spiritual revival manifested in the hearts of the people. A nation, created to glorify God, would once again fulfill it's role on the earth. God gave Israel, upon it's inception, very specific instructions about how, when, and where to worship. Among the rules given to Israel, God commanded that the people sacrifice to Him only and only at the Tabernacle, which would be located at a place He designated(later the Temple in Jerusalem). During times of national apostasy, Israel would participate in the worship of foreign gods, practice immoral behavior, sacrifice their children and build altars to God in high places all over the land. When God split the nation of Israel into two kingdoms, Judah, the southern kingdom, went through periods of apostasy and revival, depending on who ruled as king at the time. Sadly, the northern kingdom, Samaria, never experienced national revival. Studying through the book of II Kings, you will see each king of Judah described as to whether of not they followed after God. The Kings that followed after God cleansed the land, and the degree of their commitment to God determined how far their reforms went. The one reform that often went unmade was the removal of the high places of worship. The Hebrew people constantly struggled with the idolatry and the pagan practices of the people and nations around them. The Hebrews also had a penchant for erecting altars to YHWH on high hills in order to offer sacrifices closer to home, rather than travel to Jerusalem to sacrifice. God specifically forbade this practice, and even though it was done in worship to Him, it was not worship that God prescribed or wanted. A king that was truly committed to God would remove the high places and order the people to sacrifice and worship at the Temple. As believers, we come to the Lord with many sins and practices that are displeasing to Him. Some are outward, blatant, and open, while others are inward, secret and hidden. Our outward sins can be compared to the open idolatry and immoral worship practiced by apostate Judah. In our process of sanctification, we, through the work of the Holy Spirit, begin to purge our lives of behaviors and practices that displease and dishonor God. Though we may not have idols, altars or shrine prostitutes in our lives, the process of sanctification can be considered the same as Judah's removal of idols, the cessation of immoral or self destructive behavior, and the tearing down of altars to foreign gods. We, hopefully, get to a point where we look pretty good on the outside and do not exhibit any blatantly immoral behavior, but what about our hearts, our attitudes, our secret indulgences that we do not let anyone else know about. These secret, hidden and inward sins can be compared to the High Places of worship that should have been removed by a reformed minded king. As believers, we are sometimes quick to point out the hypocritical outward sin of others, while harboring inner sins, and feeling superior to those who are still struggling(or not struggling, but indulging)outwardly. This may very well be more hypocritical and displeasing to God. God said, "I Am that I Am" and that is a description that would serve the believer well. If I unrepentantly harbor hidden sin, am I truly being honest with my brothers and sisters, to whom I am presenting myself as sin-free? Does being critical of others not lead to self righteousness? Self righteousness is one of the worst traps in which a believer can be ensnared, especially since it is a trap of ones own design. "I don't drink, smoke cuss or chew, nor do I go with girls who do," may be a nifty little catch phrase, but it sounds more like a prideful pronouncement of self righteousness, when one considers what message is really being conveyed. This phrase is reminiscent of the Pharisee that Jesus spoke of in the Temple who was thanking God that he was not like the tax collector who was also in the Temple praying. The tax collector recognized his sin and was repentant, while the Pharisee was guilty of, at the very least, the sin of pride. The Pharisee's prayer reflected his acknowledgment that outwardly he had mastery over sin and looked pretty good to others, but neglected to acknowledge his inner and secret sin. Self righteousness led to self delusion. The tax collector came to God as he was and acknowledged, "I am that I am, a sinner, please forgive me." Jesus said the tax collector, an outward sinner seeking forgiveness was accepted by God while the "good" Pharisee was rejected because of his self righteousness. Jesus, on another occasion, accused the Pharisees of being "white washed tombs" looking good on the outside, but inwardly full of death. The Pharisee in the Temple suffered from the same self delusion many in the church suffer from today, the "At Least I'm Not Like That Guy" Syndrome. We forget that Jesus is the standard so we compare ourselves to others and ignore the sin that is eating us up from within and, ultimately, hindering our relationship with God. The Psalmist said, "search me oh YHWH, see if there is any hidden way in me that displeases you." David opened himself up to the ultimate inspection, knowing that he may not be pleased by what was about to be revealed. Am I willing to open myself up to such an inspection? Are you? We must be willing to do this in order to avoid the trap of self righteousness. When an ancient king in Jerusalem made reforms, he was commended by God for removing the high places, the final and most difficult of reforms. I always feel a sense of disappointment when I read, "however, he did not remove the high places," when reading the histories in the book of 2 Kings. This should not evoke disappointment towards these kings, but towards myself for not dealing with sin that I harbor. I acknowledge that I will never be perfect, I will continue to commit sins, inward and outward, as long as I live. I cannot be satisfied with this, however, my goal should be a life that pleases God. My motivation for demolishing my heart's high places should be the reality that Christ has provided for me that which I could never achieve for myself, righteousness in the eyes of God. For a believer, dealing with sin should be done as a matter of devotion, not out of fear of discipline or retribution, nor should it be a matter of how we look to others. The believer's relationship with God is a personal matter that should be between each individual and God. Failure to obey should create a sense of remorse that leads to repentance, not fear of being caught or found out by others. Destroying high places of the heart should be out of love and devotion toward our savior who loves us. I challenge you to examine your heart and allow God to reveal to you the high places that you have been harboring. What few people realize is that dealing with sin is liberating, not restrictive. When a person overcomes sin, there is freedom from bondage and a sense of relief that leads to peace with God and ultimately, joy. King Hezekiah and King Josiah tore down the high places in Judah, following their example, believers in Christ must tear down the high places that represent hidden sin in order to fully enjoy fellowship with our creator and redeemer.